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Rally had a team hand-picked to face each member of the Elite Four. Every single one of them was trained, taught new moves and strategies, and prepared to fight nearly anything Siebold could throw at them. He even had a secret weapon in store for him.

And today, Rally stood in front of the doors to Siebold's room. He bounced Dash's Poke Ball in his hand. It was a reminder to him that he was fighting not only for himself, but for all the Pokemon that brought him this far. He needed to win for them. (And also because he had no money to go home at this point.

Rally pushed open the doors and walked inside. He wasn't sure what to expect, but there was no time left to worry about that now.

"Hello?" he called out as he entered the room. "I'm here for a battle."

The room is gorgeous. The walls have soft torrents of water gently cascading down, pooling along beneath the path. As Rally steps farther in, though, the cascades swell until they crash over the smooth stone floor. At the end of the room, a raised stone with reflective glass sides holds Siebold's place. The Elite stands, elegant and poised with his hand over his face like a Jojo character.

"You have come for a battle? Psha." He swings out an arm, causing the waters to heighten to a roar. The battlefield floods. The water is now ankle-deep. "I suppose you have earned the right, lest they would not allow you through the gates. But I promise you, you will not leave! Go now, Alonne!" From the depths rises a shadow, then the form of an Empoleon. "Send forth your strongest effort if you dare, but only a true artisan could win this battle!"

Oh cool, water. No, it's not like that was a cliche or something. Not like he wanted a proper battlefield. Yeah, it was great getting his feet yet (literally), because it's not like he already had to walk through swamps and snow in this region.

Okay, that wasn't fair. In all honesty, it was pretty impressive to see. And the field was a nice surprise. He looked forward to trying to plan out something for this field.

And there he was: Siebold. Seeing, bold. Siebold. The man stood before him, posing his hand over his face dramatically. This was followed by the usual, albeit brief speech, the man threw out an Empoleon onto the field.

Time for introductions, Rally. Let's not be rude now - this guy could one day be your employee. If that's now Championships worked.

"I'm Rally Delgado," he announced aloud. "And this..."

He pocketed Dash's Poke Ball, then pulled out another. He cast it before the field, releasing a smaller than average Klefki onto the field. The Pokemon gave both Siebold and his Pokemon a friendly little smile. A white scarf was tied to its ring, sitting neatly amongst the keys.

"...is Keynan. And we're ready to take you on."

Okay, strategy time! This was it, guys. Time to get the ball rolling.

"Keynan, Switcheroo!" Rally ordered.

Keynan's smile turned wicked. His teasing heart was filled with mischief. And with surprising speed. Its ring parted in the middle, and the scarf flew away from its body. The scarf seemed to magically fly towards Alonne's neck.

"Alonne, Mist up the field!" But the Klefki moves faster, and before the Empoleon can hide behind his mist, the Choice Band is upon him. The Mist that trails out is powerful, but it is all Alonne can do. His next option isn't there, and Siebold can only half-smile as he has to look at his team and decide his next option.

Well, better go with something that wouldn't suffer for having Alonne's item.

He calls back Alonne. Then enters another Pokemon, hidden in the mist. The faint outline of a Barbaracle could be seen, but the thick haze makes it difficult to make out anything below Siebold's platform.

A thick mist started to cover the field. Rally squinted and focused on Empoleon. If he lost track of this Pokemon, it would be hard to predict and counter its moves.

But in the fuckiest of fucks, Empoleon was taken out of the fight. A Poke Ball was thrown into the mist, releasing an unfamiliar silhouette onto the field.

Okay, not bad. Rally assumed that, whatever Pokemon Siebold had called, Siebold himself had a plan to work through the mist. If they were going to play a new game, maybe it was time to switch out and change with the times.

Rally recalled Keynan, who jingled as he vanished from non-sight. Rally cast another Poke Ball forward, releasing a small, light creature onto the field. The large orange flower on its head could be seen peeking out from the fog.

"Delilah, keep him at bay," Rally ordered. "Spray Sleep Powder all around you."

Although Rally couldn't see it, his Lilligant gave him a polite nod. And it silently twirled in place, trying to keep as quiet as possible, so the enemy wouldn't be able to detect her. Sparkling blue dust emanated around her, then blew through the air before her. With any luck, the enemy would walk right into the pollen trap.

Ah, a sleep powder trap. This is going to make his plan difficult. A direct approach would certainly lead to doom. "Louisa, get under the water, then Shell Smash!" The Baracle dives beneath the waves, then shatters her harder exterior. The presence of her White Herb, however, makes the lowered defenses grow back despite her strength.

She swims closer, but doesn't surface yet. Just getting in position, and getting ready...

The water, of course! The second the enemy's body hit the waves, Rally was reminded that they had a home field advantage. If the creature could swim through the water easily, they wouldn't have the advantage of speed.

But if the enemy got closer, maybe that would work out in their favor.

"Quiver Dance," Rally ordered.

You're not the only one on the stat boosting game. The lady Lilligant swayed her hips and let her arms wave at her sides. She performed a slow, relaxed hula. But after a few seconds, the swaying movements started to pick up the tempo. She was moving faster and faster as the rhythmic beat in her mind took over her body.

Quiver Dancing is dangerous, but Siebold's pretty sure he can end this fast. He can shut down this strategy before it starts with a quick move. Louisa closes the gap, then surges out of the water. "Night Slash!" Siebold calls, just as Louisa's deadly claws try to slash deep into Delilah. Unfortunately, the proximity would likely put her in place for a counter-attack...

Sidekick Louisa was fast, but Delilah was faster. And having already anticipated an underwater maneuver, the Lilligant was caught by the attack, but managed to deliver a counter was able to jump backwards. The enemy's claws just barely missed Delilah's chest.

Chatzy ruled that Louisa's attack missed. Seemed like bullshit to Gordy, but when questioned further, Chatzy remained adamant about their position. And so, Delilah's speed boost allowed her to reflexively avoid a hit.

But now that the enemy had revealed themselves, they couldn't let this opportunity pass them by.

"Sleep Powder!" Rally called out.

Once again, Delilah spun around on her heal. With a wave of her hands, a stream of sparkling dust flew towards the enemy's direction. With any luck, they'd be able to entrap the Pokemon before it could swim away from the scene.

Louisa's momentum keeps her going forward. And unfortunately, what goes up must come down. She lands into the Sleep Powder cloud and fights for consciousness, but she's pulled under. She plummets into the water, passed out and asleep. If she weren't a water type, she might be at a drowning hazard. Instead, she simply sinks down into her natural habitat.

Siebold seems rather impressed, though he's not going to let his Pokemon fall asleep on the job. Instead, he pulls out a small wooden whistle and starts blowing it.

The whistle is waking Louisa, but it's not fast enough. By the time her eyes open, the Giga Drain has hit, and the Barbaracle is down. Siebold laughs as he returns Louisa. "Ah, one falls. But I am an Elite! I have plenty of tricks still up my sleeve!" He throws down a Pokeball. It's a bit early to be throwing out Beauregarde, but he could use his Gyarados right now.

The massive, intimidating beast crashes into the water, causing it to spill over. He roars his arrival as Siebold's coat is splashed by waves sent up onto his perch. "Beauregarde! Dragon Dance!" The Gyarados obeys, sending even more torrents everywhere. Hopefully the quickening movements would cause his opponent's footing to falter.

The Barbaracle crashed into the waves. And it was at this moment that Delilah and Rally ran towards each other, ignoring the fallen foe. They ran up and high-fives each other, celebrating their great victory.

But then, the sound of water splashing and a fierce roar. Both Rally and Delilah turned to look up at their newest challenge. A Gyarados, creating torrents and waves.

The sudden pressure caused Rally to slip and fall ass-first into the water. Delilah, while struggling to maintain her stance, remained more dignified and poised. She turned to face the foe with her hand-leaf... things politely folded in front of her.

Rally slowly rose up from the water. Which was fairly difficult, with the water soaking his jeans and weighing him down. He had to take quite a bit of time to walk towards his end of the field.

He was going the right way, right? The mist was much thinner now, but it was still a bit disorienting.

As he walked, he called out to his Pokemon, "Match its power. Quiver Dance."

Hit, it, Delilah! Although the water's swishing and splashing slowed down the dance, the Lilligant kept at it. She swayed her hips and let her arms wave like a hula dancer's. The swaying movements started to pick up the tempo. She was moving faster and faster as the rhythmic beat in her mind took over her body once more.

"Ah, the dance commences!" Siebold laughs. He makes his most dramatic pose, then laughs loud and proud. "Ah, such skill and poise! Such power! There's such a heat to this performance that I feel if any hotter, it'd be on fire!" He swishes his hand through his hair. "In fact, Beauregarde, let's make it happen! Fire Blast!"

Gyarados roars and then fires off a blast of flame straight for Delilah.

Oh Zekrom, he was another one of those dramatic types. This was Viola all over again. And Olympia. And Korrina. And Wulfric.

Okay, so maybe journeying through Kalos was not the best idea he's ever had. But he's gotten this far, and he's not going to back down.

Delilah, unable to navigate the water fast enough, was hit full blast by the fire HAHA DISREGARD THAT, Chatzy has spoken otherwise. So by now, Delilah had gotten used to wading in the water. With an effortless turn, she was able to waltz out of the raging fire's path. The heat was a pleasant gift to its skin, providing a comfortable temperature for her.

Delilah clutched something in her palm. She didn't have to use her Berry just yet. but if that attack hit, it would have made the match unbearable for her.

Assuming the Fire Blast crashed into the waters, Rally waited for the splash and steam to dissipate before continuing. If not, then he didn't wait at all.

"Looks like you missed a step," Rally said, smirking slightly. "Time for a real performer to shine. Delilah?"

Delilah extended her free hand out towards the enemy, as if it waited for the Gyarados to take her hand with its whisker. She gave a polite bow towards her opponent.

"I appreciate our routine together, but it's a little draining," Delilah said. Her voice was soft like summer rain, and spoken without hesitation or stumbling. "Since we're sharing this stage, we should share your energy."

"Giga Drain," Rally said.

In an instant, Delilah's hand started to glow a pale green. The air around her grew softer and hazier, as her very being started to feed on the life and energy around her.